General Hemp Answers

What are the differences between hemp and marijuana?

Hemp and marijuana are both part of the cannabis plant family but are VERY different. Hemp is grown for industrial purposes: food, fiber and fuel. The difference between hemp and marijuana is similar to the difference between poppies that are grown to make opium narcotic and the poppies that are grown for the poppy seeds that are used in food products such as bagels.

Another comparison that illustrates the difference between hemp and marijuana would be the comparison between a sweet pepper and a hot pepper, or a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard.

Hemp Oil Canada’s products contain less than 10ppm (parts per million), or 0.001% of Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and will NOT cause a psychoactive effect nor will our products cause a false positive drug-screening test.

Will I get “high” or fail a drug test if I eat hemp foods?

NO! Health Canada regulates the amount of THC present in all hemp food products, and has set the limit at safety factor of 10 PPM (parts per million). All of our products are third party laboratory tested for THC.

All of our products test below 10 ppm, in fact most are non-detectable at <4 ppm THC (0.0004%). These trace levels will NOT cause any psychoactive effect or cause a false positive drug-screening test.

Basically, it is impossible to ingest enough hemp food products to build up the required THC metabolite that would trigger a false positive.

What’s the CBD content in your hemp seed oil?

Hemp Oil Canada’s products are regulated to contain less than 10 part per million of THC as per the Health Canada guidelines.

We have not done extensive testing on CBD or any other cannabinoids (besides THC) as it is not a food safety focus of Hemp Oil Canada.

Do you sell Rick Simpson Hemp Oil, therapeutic hemp oil or cannabis oil? I have heard it cures cancer, is this true?

NO, we do not sell therapeutic hemp oil, or cannabis oil extracts, which would also include Rick Simpson oil.

Below is an explanation from the Canadian Cancer Society’s website regarding cannabis oil:

Cannabis oil, which is commonly known as hash oil but sometimes incorrectly called hemp oil, comes from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant. It contains the chemical THC in varying amounts (depending on how the oil has been processed). Cannabis oil may also contain other chemicals. There is no peer reviewed, scientific evidence to show that this product can treat or cure cancer.

Health Canada has not licensed cannabis oil products as either a pharmaceutical or natural health product. Its manufacturing process and purity are not regulated.

Do not confuse cannabis oil extracts with hemp seed oil, which is the oil expeller pressed from hemp seed and not chemically extracted from cannabis leaves and flowers. Hemp seed oil is widely available in Canada and contains less than 10 parts per million of THC. Cannabis oil extracts on the other hand contain from 5-20% THC

The major nutritional benefits of hemp food products are derived from the high quality and highly digestible vegan protein, which includes all of the essential amino acids that humans need to live.

Hemp food products also contain the essential fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6, which the body can not produce. They must be consumed in the foods we eat. The ratio of Omega 6: Omega 3 in hemp foods is 3:1.

Hemp foods also naturally contain an interesting array of important vitamins and minerals, making it easy to obtain your daily requirements when you add hemp foods to your diet. Hemp seeds also provide a source of dietary insoluble fibre, a much needed addition to most diets.

Yes! Hemp contains numerous nutritional benefits, including folic acid, so it is a safe and delicious addition to expectant mothers’ diets.

Are hemp foods safe for children?

Absolutely! Just remember to consider body weight when determining serving size – much like you would with any other food. As a general guideline, cut the recommended serving size shown on each package by 1/3 or ½ depending on the child’s age and size.

What about pets – are hemp foods safe for animals?

Hemp Oil Canada is not an animal food manufacturer so we recommend contacting your trusted animal care professional for specific advice. However, our staff has commented about the observed benefits of adding hemp foods (hemp oil in particular) to their own pets’ diet.

Are their any precautions or warnings to consuming Hemp food products?

Since hemp foods contain Omega 3 fatty acids and some people can react to Omega 3 fatty acids, caution should be taken for the following conditions:

1) People who bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder, or take blood thinning medications including warfarin (Coumadin), clopidogrel (Plavix), or aspirin. High doses of omega-3 fatty acids may increase the risk of bleeding, even in people without a history of bleeding disorders and even in those who are not taking other medications.

2) People with either diabetes or schizophrenia may lack the ability to convert alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the forms more readily used in the body. People with these conditions should be sure to get enough EPA and DHA from their diets.

Are there any possible interactions with other medications?

If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use omega-3 fatty acid supplements, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), without first talking to your health care provider.

1) Blood thinning medications — Omega-3 fatty acids may increase the effects of blood thinning medications, including aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin), and clopedigrel (Plavix). Taking aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids may be helpful in some circumstances (such as in heart disease), but they should only be taken together under the supervision of a health care provider.

Hemp seed’s nutritional profile can vary slightly from year to year, and from field-to-field based on growing conditions and seed variety. Hemp Oil Canada works directly with producers to advice on which variety is best for their fields and agronomic conditions. We also assist our producers with ways to produce the highest quality hemp seeds.

When Hemp Oil Canada publishes nutritional information on our seed, we take a range or an average of various tests to account for slight variations in seed lots.

The average phosphorous content in Hemp Oil Canada’s hemp seed is 415mg per serving.

What kind of carbohydrates/sugars does hemp contain?

Hemp contains no starch. The only sugar that hemp contains is sucrose in very small quantities.

Whole hemp seed is 35.4% carbohydrates, but that is mainly dietary fibre (34.8%), of which it is mainly insoluble fibre. The remaining carbohydrate is sucrose at ~0.8 g/100g. Starches are polysaccharides made of glucose.

Do you perform Glycemic Index testing?

Glycemic Index (GI) testing of hemp products is not possible due to the fact that hemp does not contain enough available carbohydrate. Available carbohydrate is defined as total carbohydrate minus dietary fibre. Since most of our products are high in fibre, hemp itself does not raise blood sugar levels compared to foods that have a high level of available carbohydrate.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We can transact payment for orders via wire, EFT, Paypal, Visa/Mastercard/American Express/Discover. Please be advised that Hemp Oil Canada Inc. requires that the first 3 orders placed with HOCI are COD. We look forward to growing our business relationships with our customers. Hemp Oil Canada Inc. does offer credit terms to vendors who provide sufficient credit references and are approved by our bank (and if necessary, our international insurance provider).

Do you offer samples for R&D purposes before placing a larger order?

Yes, we offer small samples for R&D or testing purposes free of charge, although we do ask that you cover the cost of shipping. We can transact payment for shipping via wire, EFT, Paypal, Visa/Mastercard/American Express and cheque or UPS account. To order a sample, please supply your company information to our Customer Care dept. at 1-800-289-4367 or email info@hempoilcan.com. This would include the same information required on purchase orders. (link to PO requirement Q&A)